The Pakistan Cricket Board has hired around 100 private bodyguards as part of its comprehensive security plan for the April 22 to May 7 one-day series against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has hired around 100 private bodyguards as part of its comprehensive security plan for the April 22 to May 7 one-day series against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

According to information, besides the 100 bodyguards the Dubai police would also press their officers into service to protect the Pakistan and Australian teams in the Emirates states.

"The private bodyguards have been hired as we don't want to take any chances at all with the security plan for this series," a PCB official said.

The bodyguards and the Dubai police will provide protection to the two teams at their hotels, ground and on the route between the two points at all times.

"After the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore last month obviously no one wants to take any chances with the security," the official said.

Cricket Australia, though, is yet to approve the security plan and will only do so after consulting their security experts.

PCB officials, meanwhile, are keeping the International Cricket Council posted on all arrangements for the series, specially the security plan.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt and other board officials will give a briefing to ICC and CA officials in Dubai at the ICC executive board meeting on April 16 and then in a one-to-one briefing on April 21, a day before the first match at Dubai Sports City.

"The Australians have their forces fighting in Afghanistan and they fear that Al-Qaeda could target their players so they are very particular about the security arrangements which are going to be extraordinary," sources in the PCB said.